Following their unexpected hit The Accountant, director Gavin O’Connor and star Ben Affleck have reteamed for the sports-meets-redemption drama The Way Back. Once set for a release this fall, Warner Bros. pushed it to March and now the first trailer has landed.
The drama follows Affleck as an alcoholic who aims to set down a new path in life when he becomes a coach of a local team. Seemingly taking on a meta approach when looking at the actor’s own life (not the coaching part, of course), O’Connor is clearly going for something a little more grounded than his last film. Also starring Al Madrigal, Michaela Watkins, Janina Gavankar, and Glynn Turman, see the trailer and poster below.
Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) once had a life filled with promise. In high school, he was a basketball phenom with a full university scholarship, when suddenly, for reasons unknown, he walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Now years later, Jack is spiraling down, triggered by an unspeakable loss, and drowning in the alcoholism that cost him his marriage and any hope for a better life. When he is asked to coach the basketball team at his alma mater, which has fallen far since his glory days, he reluctantly accepts, surprising no one more than himself. As the boys start to come together as a team and win, Jack may have finally found a reason to confront the demons that have derailed him. But will it be enough to fill the void, heal the deep wounds of his past, and set him on the road to redemption?
The Way Back opens on March 6.